Enzyme Lab Report

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Section 1. Introduction “Enzymes are proteins that have catalytic functions” [1], “that speed up or slow down reactions”[2], “indispensable to maintenance and activity of life”[1]. They are each very specific, and will only work when a particular substrate fits in their active site. An active site is “a region on the surface of an enzyme where the substrate binds, and where the reaction occurs”[2]. “Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down lactose, the sugar in milk. It is produced by the cells lining of the small intestine. Most people are born producing it, but often make less of it as they age, which causes lactose intolerance the symptoms for this include nausea, bloating, and diarrhea to name a few. This enzyme is produced commercially as a dietary supplement to help them digest the lactose”[3]. The purpose for this experiment is to study the enzyme specificity and if its function is under the influence of environmental factors such as pH and temperature. To test the specificity we used lactase in several test tubes in the presence of lactose and sucrose to figure out which one would result with the highest concentration of glucose, which is one of the lactase products. The test tubes each contained, milk (lactose), or sucrose, and either lactase enzyme or water, which is used as a negative control. We hypothesized that the enzyme is specific, and will break down lactose, but not sucrose. We then found out our hypothesis is accurate because it proved that enzyme lactase is specifically hydrolyzed lactose. The test tube containing milk and lactase is the only one that contained glucose; the others containing sucrose and lactase did not. Biology 5: Enzyme Lab Report ... ... middle of paper ... ... is closest to body temperature (25°C); boiling water (100°C) denatures the enzyme, and that the enzyme is not able to function properly if it is placed in ice (4°C). Both test tubes D. 4°C (100mg/dL) and E.25°C (300mg/dL) release glucose results while test tube F.100 °C releases absolutely no glucose concentration. Completing this experiment helped us get a better understanding of enzymes. Observing and recording enzymatic reactions was very helpful, nothing compared to learning about them in a book or in a PowerPoint, this took time and research to get accurate facts. This experiment helped us to understand how specific lactase really is and how different each test tubes reaction came to be. Completing this lab report helped me to understand how important lactase is and for future experiments it taught me how to make valid hypothesis and predictions.

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